Senate Passes Child Marriage Restraint Bill Amid JUI-F Boycott
Islamabad: The Senate of Pakistan has unanimously passed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill aimed at preventing underage marriages. However, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) strongly opposed the bill and staged a walkout during the session.
The bill was introduced by Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who highlighted the alarming rate at which young girls become mothers as early as 16, often resulting in maternal deaths. She emphasized that this bill had already been unanimously passed by the Senate in 2013.
JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza argued that the bill contradicted Islamic values and should be referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII). Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman said, “If children are allowed to make decisions without parental consent, it will turn our society into a European one. If you take away a parent’s right in an Islamic society, the consequences will be dire.”
Senator Rubina Khalid countered by stating that the bill had already been passed in the Sindh Assembly and approved by the Islamic Ideology Council. She criticized those opposing it, saying they never visit rural areas where young girls are married off. To this, Maulana Atta replied that JUI-F had no members in the Sindh Assembly.
Senator Khalil Tahir Sindhu challenged religious opponents to name any Muslim country besides Pakistan where the legal age of marriage is below 18. Senator Sarmad Ali noted that even Saudi Arabia has set the legal marriage age at 18.
Senator Farooq H. Naek questioned where Islam has specifically defined the age of puberty, arguing that national law defines anyone under 18 as a child. Senator Nasima Ehsan emotionally shared that she was married at 13 while in grade seven and stressed that not every marital household is a safe place for a young girl.
Senator Samina Mumtaz stated, “Child marriage is a sin. Even Egypt prohibits it.”
Maulana Abdul Wasay criticized the controversy, saying that matters like marriage and divorce fall under the domain of religious law, not parliamentary legislation, and warned that passing the bill without CII approval would be strongly condemned.
Despite the opposition, the bill was put to a vote, and the JUI-F staged a walkout. The rest of the members passed the bill unanimously.
